1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a drying oven for curing paint applied to a vehicle during the manufacturing of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Curing ovens for curing vehicle body paint are known. For example, in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2-90970, a curing oven has right and left side walls with radiant panels positioned on the side walls. Heat is generated from the radiant panels to cure the painted vehicle, particularly the side and roof of the vehicle body. Further, the oven has left and right partitions with ducts positioned below the partitions that blow hot air to cure the vehicle, particularly the floor of the vehicle, as it sits on a conveyor.
In this prior art curing oven, the under floor of the body is heated only by convection from the side ducts. Because the hot air velocity is very slow in the center of the oven, the heating capacity is at a minimum in the center of the oven. However, the thickness of the steel of the floor of the vehicle is heavier than the side panels and the roof of the vehicle, requiring more time to raise the temperature thereof. It is thus difficult to bake and thereby cure the center of the under floor of the vehicle and a longer oven time is required to bake this area. This increases the overall length of the oven, increases the costs of the equipment, and also increases the energy consumption.